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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tree on June 10, 2003, at 14:12:50
I am feeling more depressed than ever. Self-loathing, not wanting to be with people. I would think I'd be feeling better by now. Been on Wellbutrin for two and a half weeks. I know it takes four to six weeks, but shouldn't I be feeling a little better by now? Does it just happen one day all of a sudden? I can't take it. Have to keep on taking care of my kids. Have to be in social situations that I don't want to be in. Can't seem to fake it anymore.
Crying, crying, in my car...listening to depressing music and totally relating....feeling ugly...don't want anyone to see me. Look in the mirror and see distortion of self.
Posted by zenhussy on June 10, 2003, at 14:58:34
In reply to Bummed, posted by Tree on June 10, 2003, at 14:12:50
Tree,
It took a full four to six weeks years ago when I was put on Wellbutrin instant release. And even when I switched to the SR formula of Wellbutrin it again took at least four weeks for the AD effects to kick in.
I can totally remember the horrible crying and self hatred I had when I began this medication. It wasn't, for me anyway, an instance of waking up and instantly feeling better. It was more of after several weeks I began to notice I was doing the dishes again and going out to get the mail and taking the dog down to the beach. All things that had been impossible due to the crippling depressed state I was in back then. I just didn't keep records of exactly when it kicked in but I do remember that there weren't trumpets and angels singing but I did slowly stop hating myself so intensely and started being social again. Slowly is the key word.
I wish you were feeling better by now. I wish I had more words of faith for you to hang onto. Instead I just offer up the ol': you're not alone and give it a bit more time.
Keep on calling the doctor and therapist if you really feel that this medication isn't doing it for you (even before the 4 to 6 wk mark). There are plenty of meds and we're all such individually wired creatures that it takes time to find the right one for each of us.
I wish you the best on this and will think of you in your car and am sending you a moment of peace from your current situation.
zenhussy
> I am feeling more depressed than ever. Self-loathing, not wanting to be with people. I would think I'd be feeling better by now. Been on Wellbutrin for two and a half weeks. I know it takes four to six weeks, but shouldn't I be feeling a little better by now? Does it just happen one day all of a sudden? I can't take it. Have to keep on taking care of my kids. Have to be in social situations that I don't want to be in. Can't seem to fake it anymore.
> Crying, crying, in my car...listening to depressing music and totally relating....feeling ugly...don't want anyone to see me. Look in the mirror and see distortion of self.
Posted by janejj on June 10, 2003, at 15:48:43
In reply to Re: Bummed » Tree, posted by zenhussy on June 10, 2003, at 14:58:34
Hey,
I took Wellbutrin a while back and it made my depression 10x worse, i had to stop taking it, it isn't for everyone and you may be one of them. keep in contact with whoever precribed it to you.
Janejj
Posted by paxvox on June 10, 2003, at 18:01:49
In reply to Bummed, posted by Tree on June 10, 2003, at 14:12:50
I have used WB for six years. It is NOT for everyone, but it IS a very effective AD. You have to give it some more time. You didn't mention the dose you are taking. I take 150SR twice daily. You might also benefit from the addition of an SSRI, like Paxil to help with your anxiety issues, as well as a nice benzo like Klonopin. WB can make one on edge for a while until the body adjusts to it. I am very dose-sensitive, just a little more and I get chest pain, etc... However, it has done wonders as a mood elevator for me. I take from your post that you are NOT seeing a Pdoc, but a GP? You may benefit from some sort of counseling to talk about your issues. Many Pdocs have eschewed other-than-medical therapy, and GPs are not really qualified to be counselors. I have been seeing someone off and on for a few years now, and have found it very therapeutic to "get it off my chest". You SHOULD stay in very close contact with the doc that is giving you your meds. Almost ALWAYS they will need some "tweaking" to get the right combo for you. As they often say here "your mileage may vary". However, a few weeks is really not enough time to gauge the efficacy of Wellbutrin, but I think you should still speak with the prescribing doc.
PAX
Posted by Tree on June 11, 2003, at 7:25:25
In reply to Re: Bummed, posted by paxvox on June 10, 2003, at 18:01:49
Thanks. I see my prescribing doc today, who is a GP. I take two doses of 150mg per day. Clonopin made me feel a lot worse. I was taking Elavil to help with sleep, but Monday night, after my weird reaction to alcohol, I was scared to take it, so I waiting a couple of hours and took Ambien, which helped me sleep. Last night I was real tired, so I tried Ambien again, and it worked well enough. I don't like the idea of taking Elavil with my Wellbutrin. Now, I have another problem. My hair is falling out! I noticed, and posted before, about dryness in my hair in the back center. Last night, I noticed that the part in my hair extends down about an inch and a half down the back of my head. Now theres a definite bald spot attached to it. I am freaking. If it's the Wellbutrin, I have to go off it, even though I wanted to stick it out. I can't go bald. I am a relatively young woman,(though some may disagree), and I have long hair, which I am somewhat vain about. I found a study from the Annual of Clinical Psychiatry, that states certain AD's can lead to "Alopecia", which is hair loss. It also can be from Hypothyroidism, which can be induced by certain drugs. I was on the borderline for hypothyroidism anyway. Nothing is easy for me these days. I just lost a breast, and I don't want to lose my hair. ThinkI'd rather lose my mind, since that seems to be happening anyway.
Tree
Posted by KimberlyDi on June 11, 2003, at 10:40:47
In reply to Re: Bummed, posted by Tree on June 11, 2003, at 7:25:25
Tree,
That bald spot in back. I get teased about it all the time. It may be time to get another hairstyle, comb it a different way, hairspray saves the day! I was on Welbutrin for years and never associated it with hair loss. I'm in my early 30's and everything seems to be going downhill anyways. Wellbutrin's effects are gradual. That's not always so great. I quit many times thinking it wasn't working for me, only to realize months later when I was REALLY depressed that it had been helping me after all. Try Therapy. Even with your med's help, life can still be difficult. Wish you the best!
Kim> Thanks. I see my prescribing doc today, who is a GP. I take two doses of 150mg per day. Clonopin made me feel a lot worse. I was taking Elavil to help with sleep, but Monday night, after my weird reaction to alcohol, I was scared to take it, so I waiting a couple of hours and took Ambien, which helped me sleep. Last night I was real tired, so I tried Ambien again, and it worked well enough. I don't like the idea of taking Elavil with my Wellbutrin. Now, I have another problem. My hair is falling out! I noticed, and posted before, about dryness in my hair in the back center. Last night, I noticed that the part in my hair extends down about an inch and a half down the back of my head. Now theres a definite bald spot attached to it. I am freaking. If it's the Wellbutrin, I have to go off it, even though I wanted to stick it out. I can't go bald. I am a relatively young woman,(though some may disagree), and I have long hair, which I am somewhat vain about. I found a study from the Annual of Clinical Psychiatry, that states certain AD's can lead to "Alopecia", which is hair loss. It also can be from Hypothyroidism, which can be induced by certain drugs. I was on the borderline for hypothyroidism anyway. Nothing is easy for me these days. I just lost a breast, and I don't want to lose my hair. ThinkI'd rather lose my mind, since that seems to be happening anyway.
>
> Tree
Posted by fallsfall on June 11, 2003, at 13:22:17
In reply to Re: Bummed, posted by Tree on June 11, 2003, at 7:25:25
Depakote made me lose my long, thin hair, but not in patches. It wasn't helping a lot, and losing my hair was not acceptable so we cut that out. about a month after I stopped the Depakote the hair stopped falling out. Why can't the people who want to shave their heads have *their* hair fall out, and leave those of us who care alone??
I hope you figure it out. I sympathize.
Posted by Tree on June 11, 2003, at 18:32:07
In reply to Re: Bummed » Tree, posted by fallsfall on June 11, 2003, at 13:22:17
> Depakote made me lose my long, thin hair, but not in patches. It wasn't helping a lot, and losing my hair was not acceptable so we cut that out. about a month after I stopped the Depakote the hair stopped falling out. Why can't the people who want to shave their heads have *their* hair fall out, and leave those of us who care alone??
> Amen to that.
> I hope you figure it out. I sympathize.
My doctor made me feel like I was nuts about the hair. She says I haven't been on it long enough to make my hair fall out. She said she couldn't see the spot. I insisted and told her I wanted to go off the WB. I said I was willing to try a low dose of Prozac, but if that didn't work - nothing. She wrote me the perscription. Then I went to the chiropractor. SHE saw the spot. She also said that the hair loss and the depression, to some degree, could be the result of the anesthesia and the trauma from the two surgeries I had recently. She convinced me to cut back the dose to 150mg and try that for a week. So, I am doing that. Maybe the hair thing is not related to meds, but it sure seems like it.
Thanks for being here. You all are a great source of support for me.
Tree
Posted by waterfall on June 12, 2003, at 21:00:27
In reply to Re: Bummed, posted by Tree on June 11, 2003, at 18:32:07
I've been taking Wellbutrin for 7 years. Improvement was definitely gradual but I did feel a difference at the two week mark. When Remeron was added that helped even more.
A friend of mine is currently losing a lot of hair due to a surgery six months ago, so that's definitely a possibility on that score. Try a manicure, or something else that will help you feel pretty, and think about giving the Wellbutrin a little more time.
Hang in there Tree.
This is the end of the thread.
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